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Painted rock shelters are situated in the densely wooded
tracts of western Orissa. The rock shelters at Ulapgarh and Vikram Khol in
Sambalpur district, Manikmada and Ushakothi in Sundargarh district,
Gudahandi and Yogimatha in Kalahandi district, offer the joy of
discovering a primitive culture, rare in the whole of Eastern India. There
are natural rocks in these areas covered with pre-historic paintings.
The Different Varieties
The "Ravana Chhata Rock Al Sitabinjhee" of Keonjhar district
contains a painting of a very high order. It depicts the procession scene
of a King riding a caparisoned elephant. There are horse-riders and
soldiers on the march holding shafts and banners, followed by a female
attendant. This painting carries reminiscence of Ajanta murals.
The rock painting in these natural caves are coloured with the help of a
twig of a palm tree turned into a brush by hammering its fibrous end. The
paintings differ from place to place. For example, in most of the rock
shelters the paintings are mostly linear.
But in Manikamada, the paintings have a more pictorial quality and are of
a greater variety and range in their depiction of figures and nature. Here
the paintings have received several coats of paint and are thick in
texture, while there are some others, which have been very roughly
sketched.
Paintings Of Yogimath
At Yogimath the painting are clear and rendered in red-ochre lines.
Usually the rear walls and ceilings are covered with paintings. While the
painting on the walls follow a sequential, horizontal pattern, those on
the ceiling have no definite scheme of composition. It is interesting to
note that the paintings range from small geometrical and floral patterns
to big animal motifs like deer, cattle, stag and sambar. Where human
figures are present, they are shown as hunting, domesticating animals,
fighting and dancing.
The pigments used by the rock painters are oxides of iron, which give the
colours red and brown; white is derived from lime and green from copper
compounds. These colours are mostly available near the rock shelters.
Obviously primitive men, the ancestors of the tribals of Central India and
Western Orissa, have done these paintings. This rock tradition of
pictorial painting is carried into the sent day in the mural paintings of
tribals. The paintings of the Saura tribals in Koraput and Ganjam
districts still retain the freshness and vigour of rock paintings.
Orissa
has a rich tribal culture. The 'Sauras', the 'Kondhs' and the 'Santals'
decorate their houses with motifs of flowers, birds and geometrical
designs. The 'Saura' paintings are intimately related to religious beliefs
and drawn in order to appease demigods' and spirits. On the occasion of
animal sacrifices, the Sauras draw 'ittals' on their walls.
The themes of these paintings are usually dream sequences. A medley of
objects such as a comb or even a bicycle map figure in modern Saura
paintings. The 'Kondh' wall paintings are generally in the form of
geometrical designs. Santals also paint their houses with figurative
patterns.